Dentistry News

Regularly brushing and flossing your teeth could prevent against gum disease, heart attacks and potentially deadly blot clots caused by mouth bacteria, according to new research from the University of Bristol. Researchers warn that neglecting to take good care of your oral hygiene could promote the growth of bacterial microbe cultures that can enter the bloodstream through bleeding gums and cause blood platelets to group together and form clots.

NHS doctors have been able to use a genetically engineered version of the cold-sore virus, Herpes, to treat patients with mouth cancer. The Royal Marsden NHS Trust, working with the Institute for Cancer Research, injected the virus into 17 patients where it multiplied inside cancer cells causing them to burst and release a protein that boosted the patient's immune system.

Having you tongue pierced could lead to damage that could cost thousands to repair, according to new data published in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics. Researchers at the University of Buffalo warn that pushing a tongue stud against the front teeth can badly damage and gap the teeth.

Quitting smoking could reduce levels of unhealthy oral bacteria in patients with chronic gum disease, according to new research. The new report, published in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, claims that stopping smoking could also increase levels of healthy oral bacteria.

Scientists in France claim that a new gel could be used to replace dental fillings. The researchers explain that a new bio-material gel could be inserted into dental cavities to successfully encourage tooth tissue to regenerate. The discovery could enable thousands of people to bypass the dreaded dental drill.

Regularly eating yoghurt could reduce a child's risk or developing tooth decay by up to 22%, researchers claim. Researchers in Japan believe that proteins in yoghurt may cling to and protect the tooth's sensitive enamel from exposure to acids and food debris. It is hoped that the findings can be used to improve the dental health of British children - over 30,000 of whom need emergency dental treatment a year.

Dieter's are often warned not to eat meals late at night, but now, researchers claim that midnight snacking could damage your dental health as well as your waist-line. American and Danish researchers warn that midnight snacking leads to increased levels of harmful tooth decay. Researchers hope that their findings will encourage nocturnal eaters to take change their habits and safeguard their dental health.

New sound emitting technology has been developed that can be used to calm patients who are nervous about visiting the dentist, experts claim. Designed by neuro-scientists, the technology soothes anxious patients by transmitting sound frequencies to the brain that slows brain waves into a relaxed state. Experts believe that the treatment could reduce anxiety by as much as 50%.

People who have lost some or all of their adult teeth could benefit from a new stem cell technique that could see new teeth grow in an empty dental socket, researchers claim. Research, published in the Journal of Dental Research, suggests that implanting a model tooth made of natural materials that have been steeped in stem cells could develop and grow into a functioning tooth in as little as nine weeks. Researchers claim that the tooth produced may better fit the mouth than conventional dental implants.

A visit to the dentist could be about to get much more pleasant, if new research is to be believed. Research, published in the journal Molecular Pharmaceuticals, suggests that a nasal spray could be used to replace the much loathed dental anaesthetic jab. Researchers claim that their findings indicate that nasal sprays could be used to treat dental pain, migraines and more.

New research suggests that acupuncture could be used to treat people who are scared of visiting the dentist. Results of the research study, published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine, shows that acupuncture can be used to successfully calm highly anxious dental patients sufficiently enough to enable them to undergo necessary dental procedures. It is hoped that this research could be used in order to treat people who suffer from Odontophobia: a pathological fear of dentists and dental treatment.

A year ago a programme was set up called the NHS Practitioner Health Programme (PHP) which was aimed at the need to understand and reach out to those doctors, nurses and dentists who were suffering in silence with their own health problems. However, the results provide a worrying outlook to the mental and physical health of these practitioners, more significantly in dentists.

A recent survey conducted through England and Wales has revealed a positive attitude from people of all ages towards orthodontic braces. The research as conducted by the British Lingual Orthodontic Society revealed that up to 20% of the population feel their teeth would be advantaged by a brace. However, people still seem unaware of the lingual treatments available for all those who do not wish their braces to be visible.

The Barker hypothesis as developed by David Barker suggested that there was a connection between the health in an infant and the impact later on in their lives. This has now been strengthened by a review published in the latest edition of Evolutionary Anthropology. The review in fact shows that those who contracted a defect in their tooth enamel during their earlier years became at greater risk of an early death.

Gum disease is something which affects over a third of the entire population, and it can leave people with their gums having retracted and wobbly teeth. However, researchers in Australia believe they could have pioneered a technique in which new cells are grown to help build the gums back up to their original stature using stem cells.

Some of us (although we may not admit it) will put off an annual trip to the dentist in order to delay the need for that filling that fell out a couple of months ago. However, the Oral Cancer Foundation in America is now urging people that there is so much more to a dentist check-up than the need for fillings. Going to the dentist could quite literally save your life if you are developing life-threatening diseases such as oral cancer.

We’ve all been there, gripping the side of the chair until our knuckles go white, our heartbeat quickening at the sound of that dreaded drill…but fear no more as scientists have just revealed a plasma jet that does the same job but without the pain. Not only that but the jet boasts credentials of being able to eradicate the tooth decay within 20 seconds and without the grating noise and pain most of us associate with the dentist.

Forget the ice cream man making his appearance down your road every day during the summer months; it now appears we could be seeing mobile dentists down our streets! Sound bizarre? It is a new innovative idea created by DentalXpress who hope to reach out to the thousands of people who are unable to get registered at their local dentist. With around 50% of dentists being unable to add anyone onto their systems, the necessity for an innovation like DentalXpress are offering is clear.

Due to the ever-increasing number of dentists that have made their practices private, there comes a growing shortage of NHS available dentists. As many as 80,000 Scots are still on a waiting list or without an NHS dentist, with most dental practices showing no signs of shortening their waiting lists. With little else that they can do, many patients in need of a dentist are pleading with the Scottish government to improve the healthcare system they all pay for.

The British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) praised parliament’s decision to ban cigarette vending machines, as well as the display of cigarettes in shops. Chief executive Dr Nigel Carter hailed the plans as a “great boost” in the lead up to the charity’s Mouth Cancer Action Month this month.

Modified osteo-odonto-keratoprosthesis (MOOKP) has been used for the first time in the USA on Sharon Thornton, from Smithdale, Mississippi. The procedure involves taking one of the patients’s teeth and placing it into the eye to secure a prosthetic lens in place.

A new state-of-the-art dental unit has just opened in Porth, Wales, boasting some of the worlds most advanced dental technology. Initially, the unit functions as a training centre for dentists. For such purposes the unit contains cameras in one of its surgeries that feed back to a screen where dental members can study the procedures.

A new NHS contract is causing dentists to carry out fewer complex procedures, recent figures have shown.
The latest dental figures, calculated from June 2007 up to June 2009 reveal the effect of a new contract implemented in April 2006.

All around the UK, dentist’s pay varies to such an extent that some are getting paid ten times the amount of others for similar work. While dental pricing has been standardised using UDAs or Units of Dental Activity, it has been revealed that one UDA has a different cost around the country.

A recent study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention has shown that chronic periodontitis, an inflammatory disease in the soft tissue around the teeth raises the risk of squamous cell carcinoma in the head and neck.